Archived press release

New figures show Government is still losing waste battle

29 April 2004

The UK Government looks set to miss one of its key recycling targets after new Government figures published today reveal that only 14.5 per cent of household waste in England was recycled in 2002/3 [1]. The Government's Waste Strategy 2000 for England and Wales set a target to recycle or compost at least 25 per cent of household waste by 2005.

Despite the two per cent increase in domestic recycling, England still languishes near the foot of the European recycling league. Austria recycles around two thirds of its waste (64 %), Belgium recycles over half (52 %)[2].

DEFRA published its provisional estimates from the Department's latest Municipal Waste Management Survey for the financial year 2002/3. These show that:

• Municipal waste has risen 1.8 per cent over the previous year (to 29.3 million tonnes);

• Household waste - which accounts for around 88 per cent of municipal waste - has risen by 1.1 per cent;

• The amount of waste landfilled has fallen slightly;

• The proportion of households served by a kerbside recycling scheme increased from 58 per cent to 66 per cent. Last month a Friends of the Earth survey revealed that only a quarter of local authorities currently comply with the Household Waste Recycling Act's target of providing every household with a doorstep collection of at least two materials by 2010 [3].

• The most recycled material was compostable waste (32 per cent), followed by paper (30 per cent) and glass (13 per cent)

Friends of the Earth's Waste Campaigner Clare Wilton said:

"The Government is clearly not doing enough to tackle the UK's waste crisis and seems set to miss its target of recycling a quarter of household waste by 2005. Increasing amounts of waste are being generated, and far too little is recycled.An effective plan to dramatically reduce the amount of waste we produce is desperately needed. Ministers must also do more to ensure that local authorities speed up the introduction of comprehensive doorstep recycling collections for every household. We cannot continue to lay waste to the environment by throwing valuable resources into landfill sites, or burning them in incinerators."

Notes

1. http://www.defra.gov.uk/news/2004/040429a.htm

2. Environmental Signals 2002 - European Environment Agency

3. www.foe.co.uk/resource/press_releases/ ¬
doorstep_recycling_getting_18032004.html

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Published by Friends of the Earth Trust